How Poor Web Design Could Actually Hurt Your Sales

How Poor Web Design Could Actually Hurt Your Sales

Everyone wants to be rich but not many people think their own website’s design is actually the thing holding them back from making money. It’s true, your website design can actually be turning people away and it doesn’t matter how good the services or products are. If your design is outdated, slow, not optimized, and basically just looks bad then you will not see the number of sales coming in that you had hoped for.

If you designed your website from scratch, while learning how to build websites, you likely need a good overhaul due to using outdated techniques. Just like everything else in the world, web design evolves as time goes on, so if it took you a couple years to finish your design then you likely need to start over.

In this discussion, I’ll be going over a few things you need to think about if your design might be hurting your sales, such as:

Your Web Design Looks Like a Splash Page

A lot of people like putting up these one-page websites to catch sales and emails, but those are becoming outdated and scammy looking. If you have one page with all of your products or services, a TOS page, a privacy page, and a contact us page then you’re likely going to lose some sales. This is because you have the bare minimum to be considered a website. Sure, you have a design and a domain, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to make money.

Add a blog, some subpages, and anything else you can think of in order to convince people you’re legitimate. The more content you have on your website, the better it is for your sales, and you will even see some traffic coming in from the search engines because you now rank for some long-tailed keywords.

Your Website Looks Like it Was Created in 1998

One of the biggest turn-offs when going to a website is seeing an outdated template that was made in the early years of the internet. People always used these templates because that’s just how websites were made back then, but that doesn’t mean you need to use them now. Sure, you’ll get a few sales here and there by using these templates and having some catchy sales copy, but you could be making a boatload more money if you just had a modern design that people can trust.

Another reason you shouldn’t use old templates is that they make your website look like it’s been abandoned. You’re not staying up to date with design trends, and that means your website is essentially collecting cobwebs, and now people won’t purchase from you because they aren’t sure if the website has anyone running it.

You’re Using a Basic Low-Quality Template

Just like the above point, you could be using a template that was designed in a few hours and it doesn’t look high quality. It could have been made yesterday by a person who wanted to get into web design, and it’s likely enticing because it’s free to use, but that doesn’t mean you should be using it. Spend a few bucks and get a WordPress theme from ThemeForest if you want to look amazing online. You can always customize these themes to do anything you want since you have all the code at your disposal. You can even add dozens of different plugins to your website and make it more unique than anyone else who has purchased it.

A lot of people ask me “Doesn’t Google want to see a unique website design in order to boost my rankings?” and the answer to that is “Yes and No”. They want you to have a good website design that loads fast, but they don’t really care if you’re using a theme that 1,000 other people are as well. As long as you’re adding your own content and images you’ll be just fine in the eyes of Google.

Your Newsletter Popup is Showing Too Often

One of the most annoying things you can come across online is a pop-up newsletter that doesn’t know when to stop. You could close it and it will pop back up in 20 seconds as you’re reading an article. By having a newsletter pop-up like this, you’re just annoying your visitors and they will leave after a certain point, and this point tends to be much earlier than they decide to make a purchase!

Having a newsletter popup is great, but only use it once in order to pull attention to it, don’t use it dozens of times when the user is on your website. People will see it and sign up if they want, but if they don’t sign up then they shouldn’t be seeing it 20 more times during their visit. You’re essentially pushing them off of your website because you really need them to sign up.

In Conclusion

Minimal is actually good in today’s world because people want to read what they came to your website for, they don’t want to search for it, so if you can design your website in a way that doesn’t draw their attention elsewhere then you should be golden. Another thing to think about is your template, if you’re using one, it should not be old and free. These tend to be pretty much garbage and should be thrown away. Spend a few bucks on a nice design or theme and you will be just fine in the eyes of Google and the other search engines as well as any visitor that lands on your pages.

I have had only the best service from ASW Design! Kevin was in touch with me every step of the way in designing my website. Nothing I asked was ever too much work, and I felt like a priority throughout! And... my website was started and completed much faster than expected! I really appreciate such efficient service- thanks guys!!read more

Kevin has an incredible talent where is takes visions to the next level. He's work ethic is like no other I've ever seen and without a doubt one of the most well rounded designers I've had the pleasure of working with on several occasions. He delivers excellence on a platter and never fails in devotion to his projects. 100% all the time every time!read more

Kevin was amazing and understood my design needs completely. He made my website exactly as I wanted and even added some brilliant personal touches and extras i did not even think of. I would recommend Kevin and Advertising Solutions for anyone looking for a professional website.
Well done guys!!!read more

Kevin Ras and ASWD ROCKS! He designed our awesome company website, gave us super fast service and professional advise at an affordable rate for our start-up company. We are extremely happy with his service and he's a pleasant and friendly person to deal with (TelkoFin Consulting).read more

I gave Kevin my content and a one pager mock up with a theme in the form of a business card. He wowed my socks off with his website creation. So professional. Scope changes that I had were corrected asap. Service like this is hard to come by. Well Done!!!read more

WEBSITE HOSTING

What is Web Hosting?

When you design a website and want other people to see it, you will need to publish (or upload) it with a web hosting service.

Web hosting services work by storing your website files in high-powered computers (web servers) connected to a very fast network. When someone types in your web address (such as www.advertisingsolutions.co.za), the Internet connects to the web server holding your website files and then transfers your website information back to their computer. From there they can surf and view the pages of your website.

DOMAIN NAME

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name (www.yourcompanyname.co.za) is essentially your company’s Internet address; the same way your company’s street address is used to find your offices, a domain name is used to find your website. Consider this: Pick a domain name that’s memorable and relevant!

NUMBER OF STOCK PHOTOS

Stock photos are professionally taken photographs that we can buy online to use commercially, without having to stress over copy-right issues. It can be used to enhance your website or in marketing material.

Stock photos can save you quite a bit of time and money, as you do not have to hire a photographer just to have some quality images for your website. While stock images cover a broad range of applications, it can be difficult to acquire pictures for a certain niche, or a specific product.

NUMBER OF SLIDES

What is a slider?

A banner slider is comprised of images and text on multiple slides, allowing you to rotate content on a single space on your website. It’s most commonly the first thing you see (apart from the logo and menu) on a website’s home page. The purpose of the slider is to catch the attention of the viewer while being visually appealing and easy to read. It can be used to display selected information, such as promotions or highlighting specific products or services, and can also be used to easily navigate your site.

How many should I use?

This is dependable on the amount of content you have on your website. Small websites that do not have much information 1-2 sliders will be enough. Websites with more pages and content to market will require more sliders to make the navigation of the site easily digestible for the viewer, while promoting certain products or content. We do not recommend more than 5 slides, as we find that most viewers spend a few minutes on your home page before moving on to another page and won’t view more than 5 slides.

WEBSITE TYPE

Standard Website Design

This design is for the general purpose of getting your company’s information out on the internet and reaching potential customers. This does not include an online store/eCommerce, directories or custom development. As we use WordPress, you will also have the option of logging in to your website and doing some small changes yourself if you choose.

Online Store/eCommerce

This design option is for selling your products online, as well as having your information online and reaching potential customers. This includes payment gateway integration such as Payfast and EFT and also includes up to 50 individual products. If you have more products you can simply load them in yourself by logging into the backend of your website, where you can also manage your inventory and take stock. If you have a large selection and would prefer us to do it, we can assist you with loading all your products for an additional fee.

NUMBER OF PAGES

Most websites are comprised of 4 pages, eg: Home, About, Services/Products and Contact.

Your Home page welcomes the viewer, with a general summary of your company and what you have to offer. It also helps the viewer easily navigate your site. Your About page may list company history, your mission and vision, team members, company values or any information regarding your company.

Your Products or Services page is where you expand on the products or services you have. Your Contact page lists all your contact details, such as your physical address, contact number and email address. It is also good to have an enquiry form so potential clients can easily get in contact with you.

These are just the most common pages used, the amount of pages will depend on the amount of information you have.